Food Bank For New York City Holds Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day in D.C., Tells Congress: Don't Cut Food Stamps, Our First Line of Defense Against Hunger

Food Bank For New York City Holds
Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day in D.C., Tells Congress: Don’t Cut Food Stamps, Our First
Line of Defense Against Hunger

Advocacy Day Comes As House Considers New Bill With
$40 Billion in Cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

September 12, 2013 – New York, NY – Food Bank For New York City, the city’s major
hunger relief organization and the country’s largest food bank, held an
Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. today, to meet with members of the
New York Congressional Delegation about Farm Bill priorities. The Farm Bill,
negotiated by Congress every five years, sets policy and funding for
agricultural programs as well as critical components of the nation’s safety
net.

The nutrition portion of the Farm Bill, set to
be considered by the House imminently, contains billions
of dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
also known as food stamps. SNAP is the country’s first line of defense against
hunger. More than 47 million Americans – including 1.9 million in New York City
– rely on SNAP to keep food on the table.

This debate is taking place at a time when SNAP
benefits are already scheduled for across-the-board cuts on November 1. These
cuts will result in the loss of more meals in New York City than Food Bank For
New York City, the country’s largest food bank, distributes in a year. New York
City alone stands to lose more than $225 million per year in food purchases,
which is money that supports jobs in the local retail food sector and the economy.

“We want to make sure our representatives in
Washington know we need them to stand strong against cuts to SNAP,” said Margarette
Purvis, PresidentandCEO of Food Bank For New York City. “Charity
can’t do it alone. Our network of 1,000 charities are experienced and robust,
but we simply can’t make up for a cut of this magnitude. Cuts to SNAP will
shift more people to food pantries and soup kitchens that are already
struggling to meet unprecedented need. We’re looking at a hunger crisis unlike
any we’ve seen in Food Bank’s 30-year history, and we cannot stand by and let
this happen.”

Purvis, and nearly fifty community leaders,
emergency food providers, and clergy members, had a clear message for Congress
in today’s meetings: the Farm Bill must protect our vital anti-hunger
resources. They urged the New York City Delegation to oppose any proposal to
cap or reduce funding, restrict eligibility, reduce benefits, or make harmful
structural changes to SNAP. In short, no cuts are acceptable.

SNAP directs vital benefits to the nation’s poorest
and most vulnerable. More than 20 percent of SNAP recipients are elderly or
disabled and nearly half are children. Ninety-one percent of benefits go to
households with incomes below the poverty line and in 2011, SNAP kept 4.7
million Americans out of poverty, including 2.1 million children.

SNAP is also proven to boost the economy, with
$1.73 in economic activity for every dollar in SNAP benefits. The Congressional
Budget Office rated an increase in SNAP benefits as one of the most
cost-effective of all spending and tax options for boosting growth and jobs in
a weak economy.

Even with SNAP, other nutrition programs, and the
network of emergency food programs, New York City already faces a meal gap of
100 million meals annually. Nearly half of New Yorkers who rely on emergency
food are SNAP recipients, and for more than 80 percent, SNAP benefits don’t
last the month. As drafted, proposed SNAP
cuts in the House bill will raise the meal gap in New York City to more than
400 million meals.

“Proposed cuts to SNAP will disproportionately
affect New York City, where one in three people is already struggling to put
food on the table. These cuts would be devastating to our most vulnerable
communities and to our economy as a whole,” continued Purvis. “We thank the members
of the New York City Congressional Delegation who have worked to protect SNAP
in the past, and urge all our members to oppose any and all cuts to our
nation’s hunger safety net.”

To raise awareness of the issue and support for
the 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on Food Bank For New York City and its
citywide network of charities, Food Bank recently launched its annual ”Go
Orange” campaign during September’s Hunger Action Month. Orange is the color of
hunger awareness. The multi-pronged effort rallies and mobilizes corporations,
restaurants, supermarkets, retailers, volunteers, celebrities, and the public
to fight hunger in New York City. For more information, visit GoOrange.org.

About
Food Bank For New York City

Food Bank For New York City recognizes 30 years
as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty
throughout the five boroughs. As the city’s hub for integrated food poverty
assistance, Food Bank tackles the hunger issue on three fronts — food
distribution, income support and nutrition education — all strategically guided
by its research. Through its network of community-based member programs
citywide, Food Bank helps provide 400,000 free meals a day for New Yorkers in
need. Food Bank’s hands-on nutrition education program in the public schools
reaches thousands of children, teens and adults. Income support services
including food stamps, free tax assistance for the working poor and the Earned
Income Tax Credit put millions of dollars back in the pockets of low-income New
Yorkers, helping them to achieve greater dignity and independence. Learn how
you can help at foodbanknyc.org.